Seedlings
by Par-salin
Summary: A new final fantasy Genre where a mysterious drug is created. follws the SeeD idea set in FF8


Seedlings  
  
"Attention all students, the Students have who have not taken their exam will do so in the training arena at a time to be announced. Matches will start no later than thirty minutes. Continue with classes" Said the voice of the headmaster over the P.A. the field exam was a fight, it didn't matter if you won or lost, it's why you won or lost. A judge pre selected from the senior student body will judge the fight.  
  
They were in a Garden, which is a military training academy. The graduates either become instructors or "Seeds". Children as young as eleven could join a Garden, living there till their eighteenth birthday when they would either leave with the military on salary, or return home. Children between eleven and fifteen were considered "Seedlings" and sixteen and above we considered "Sprouts" or Senior students. There were about four known Garden training centres in the world, and approximately two thousand Seeds per Garden. Out of the two thousand, on average only five hundred become full fledged Seeds on paid salary.  
  
Xander was in the back of "Bio-Tech Wep." Class, short for "Biologically Advanced Technological weaponry". This class was considered the most boaring of all Seed classes. All it talked about were the weapons that can be installed an any wildlife creature and what they do. It was generally "sleep period" for most students. Joe was in the back row, his laptop blaring his musing on headphones... "Mr. Kincaid?" asked the Teacher ripping the headphones off Xander, "they just called for you to go to the training arena, your match is in five minutes." The teacher, in her uniform paced the aisles talking about meaningless things you can do with fish.  
  
Xander packed up his stuff and left class, walking along the marble floor to the glass elevator. He got on the Elevator and went to the bottom floor. The bottom floor was made of glass with a pool underneath it and wildlife living peacefully. Xander arrived at the match two minutes early, and found his competitor to be his best friend. Miriam. ever since he and her got here she could beat him in matches. She was a year younger than him. She was fourteen, he was fifteen. If Xander passed this exam, like he aced the written, then he could become a senior student.  
  
"Yo, Xander, I'll take it easy on you ok?" Miriam said as joe walked into the black marble room. The judge was Miriam's older sister, Marion. Xander knew he was toast. Marion graduated three years ago, she was twenty one and an instructor here now. She taught "Magic-Weapon Relations" the hardest yet most interesting class available.  
  
"We'll begin now, Xander choose your weapon, Miriam has selected hers" Marion said, sitting down. She wore a black, sleeveless dress with a red sash around her arms. Of course, Xander thought when he saw Miriam's weapon selection. dual daggers. Miriam was fascinated with daggers. Xander picked the Magi-gloves. Magi-gloves were not really gloves. Little golden thimble like things were put on each finger. with the right combination of hand gestures and words, the gloves would create a spell. this weapon was taught in Marion's class and she was not at all surprised he picked that weapon. he was the best in his class at using them.  
  
with the clang of a gong the battle began. Miriam wasting no time in advancing on Xander. She was extremely quick and flexible throwing punches and slices with her dagger. Xander was doing fine until one nicked across his palm and blood trickled out. Xander thought Quick "Hecuva!" Xander shouted clapping his hands together once. A sound like a gun shot went off and a blinding light filled the room for a few seconds.  
  
Miriam blinked a few times and she no longer had Xander Cornered. "what in?." she mumbled But Xander continued an assault. "Sherin Dibb!" He said, a faint accent in his voice. He was behind Miriam and as soon as he uttered the words two green ribbons flew out of his palms and constricted Miriam. She slashed her way out but not before Xander planted a good high kick to her belly. She was sent back into the wall gasping for the wind that was knocked out of her. She looked up to the timer. ten seconds. She threw both knives with pin point accuracy at Xander. He was Quick enough to fall onto his back. After he heard the Knives embed into the marble wall behind him he jolted forward and launched himself back to his feet. The first thing he saw was Miriam's foot. Wham, it hit just as Marion yelled "TIME". Miriam helped Xander up "Good fight dude, I thought you would have got me after the Hecuva charm from behind or something, but you were too slow.. and you know if you woulda added 'Ali' before the Sherin Dibb I woulda had to cut through snakes instead of ribbons?" She said Helping him up. "I know, but you're my friend, I couldn't." Said Xander "Your marks will be posted on the screen later today" Said Miriam, "your free for the rest of the day"  
  
Meanwhile, at the royal Palace of Adun in Eden-  
  
"Sometimes I think she's just sleeping." Said an elderly woman standing over a glass coffin. "My eyes just stopped seeing after she was gone. there was no light left to see" Said the mother Standing over the coffin of her daughter. The body of a five year old lay in a tiny glass coffin hovering above a dais. The mother's hair was greying, the father dead. Her eyes were nothing but white orbs, her vision lost. She took a sip of her tea and set it on the oak in table in her Daughter's room where she sat in a chair. She knew every inch of the house like the back of her hand.  
  
"Don't worry Sabine, the doctor's say the drug is almost ready. Perhaps we could talk about the optical surgery now?" Asked the man clad in armour in the room. He was the daughter's bodyguard, a friend of the family.  
  
"NO!" She yelled pounding the in table knocking the tea cup off it's saucer, catching it before the tea spilt with precision accuracy. "what do I have to see, the corpse of my daughter, Queen of. well let's just say she'd be very happy if she were alive, but thanks to the fire that her idiot father set the Palace burned down and killed his own child. Then he was too much of a coward to confront me so he took his gun and put it to his head." the woman stopped and held her face in her hands, "just make my daughter well again"  
  
the woman grieved.  
  
Back at the Garden-  
  
"Yes!" Said Miriam, pointing to the large screen that displayed over the front door.. .it was huge, perhaps twenty feet by twenty feet. It displayed every student's name and their grades.  
  
-Xander Kincaid- Written exam- 92% -Physical exam- 81%- -Miriam Lune- Written exam- 89%-Physical Exam- 81.5%-  
  
"Well, This means we can slack off for the rest of the year" Xander Sighed sitting down on a bench watching the Seedling "Phys-ed" Class go on. The meanest teacher taught that class, he made the kids each do unimaginable laps around the Garden. as a warm up, then they'd duel. "Hey!" Miriam Said exclaimed "now that your officially a senior now, even though your fifteen, you can accept missions now! And you can take me as an intern.. Sis never takes me, she tells me I'll just get hurt." said Miriam. As if it had been written in the stars Marion walked in changed into Tight Black jean shorts, knee high leather boots and a black tank top. Her ink black hair done up in a tight bun, except the bangs which covered almost one whole side of her face. The bun was held together with many little chopsticks. "Xander, sad to say you've been randomly selected to go on a mission with me, you get to select an apprentice to take with you, and I'm assuming your going to pick Miriam, so why don't the three of us just go down to the briefing?" she said a little peeved. She didn't like Xander a whole lot, and she didn't want her sister to come.  
  
The three of them followed her to the top and forbidden level of the Garden in the headmasters office.  
  
The Headmaster sat in a big hovering chair in the centre of the room. If anything he resembled a corpse, kept alive by a machine controlling his heart, breathing and blood pressure.  
  
"Good evening, shall we get started?" his computer spoke for him, it read his thoughts. "your mission is to investigate the production of an illegal drug that is being manufactured and tested in the southern regions of the world, sources indicate that this trade is connected to the Southern Region Monarchy, the royal family." The computer stopped speaking and the headmaster wheezed then proceeded as an image was displayed on the crystal floor beneath them. A test tube with a greenish liquid in it. The liquid was injected into the dried corpse of a mouse. in a matter of minutes the mouse's body regenerated and became alive and well again. "As you can see this drug makes the person under the influence stay alive for a short period of time, and the body, will age as well to the date of it's regular life. for instance, if a woman died at the age of fifty three ten years ago.. should she be brought back in a matter of hours, her fifty three year old appearance and body shape would morph into that of a sixty three year olds." "So, is this in connection to the death of the royal family's daughter eight years ago?" Marion asked The headmaster nodded "Yes, we believe this drug was created to bring her back to life." "So why is this Illegal" Xander asked "There's a side effect" The headmaster Said, pausing Marion, Miriam and Xander asked in unison, "what?" "They react to the drug that brought them back to life in a manner that makes their brain shift. They lose their conscience. they become evil" Said the Headmaster.  
  
Back at the Palace- the Guard came into the study, his ancient armour clanking and his long sword dangling from his belt. "Why do you still wear the ancient armour, lasers and mechanics are much more advanced and civilized nowadays?" Asked the Blind mother sitting at a long pine table in front of a fire sewing up a white dress, fit for a little girl. The guard laughed "Why do you still have pine tables and antique fireplaces? Surely there is alternate sources of heat and specially tables made of iron and metals, and robots who can sew that for you" The Guard deflected her question with one of his own "I guess we're both still clinging to the olden days, my, my. but it was so long ago they came up with these new fangled machines, I guess I keep the Palace old because it reminds me that little Joey is still here, living through the old creaking floorboards and the ancient tapestries." Said the Mother setting down her work and needle rubbing her forehead "Kristin, you just wait, as soon as the doctors finish making the drug everything will be just fine. they're just some bad side effects and kinks we have to work out." the Guard explained "Joey." said the Guard, saying the child's name "which last name shall she carry?" "My own, the father was good for nothing but giving us the palace in his absence" Said the mother "Leal, Joey Leal" she Said. The Guard smiled and left. as he left The mother tossed aside the dress and walked over to the fireplace.. She tapped an engraved lion's head over the mantelpiece. The fire vanished and the mother walked into the fireplace, into a part of the house only she knew about.  
  
On board "The Gorgon"- Marion, Miriam and Xander were all informed on the rest of the mission and boarded the militarily vessel "The Gorgon". It was a piece of crap tin can space ship that was no good to fly in space any longer so they used it as a high speed cruiser, mostly for over sea's trips. The World was made of two great continents, one at the north east end of the world, the other at the south western region of the world. then there were islands in between. the southern continent was ruled by the Southern Region Monarchy, the royal family. "How long before we get there?" Xander asked eating a rations pack. "Let me check" said Marion scanning over the ship's computer coordinates. The thing fried up and locked her out "we're on auto pilot and this thing's tech is so old, they're must be ancient's who can't do this!" she screamed taking out a pouch of black sand, "it's times like these you thank whoever for black magic" She said dropping the sand on the keyboard. The sand formed into a spider who crawled over the keys and steered the ship. The spider was linked to Marion's mind.. it figured out the computer and she told it what to do. "We'll be there in an hour or so." Said Marion smiling. Then the ancient tv screen shot on and an attractive television reported came on "This is Sam from Ginny-890 news reporting. A gang of super criminals attacked the science lab developing a top secret cosmetic today, three were killed, ten were injured, but sources confirm the drug is still intact, the scientist promise if no more attacks should happen, this top secret wonder cosmetic will be out early summer, in other news." Xander flicked off the TV "Somebody doesn't want the drug made, maybe an enemy of the royal family, Miriam, do a cross scan over your lap top and see in the past who the enemies of the Royal Family are, maybe an enemy of the daughter, they know what's going on, it has to be somebody with limitless intelligence and money, it may be somebody connected to the royal family themselves." Xander said. "Very good" Marion said "Perhaps it's somebody inside the compound, an angry servant? Somebody who wants in on a Will of some sort? Miriam went to work on her Laptop and Marion continued to steer the boat. "change of plans" Said Marion "We're going to the Royal Palace instead."  
  
At the Science Lab- in the ruins of the junk inside the research facility the woman, clad in a black leather suit searched. From head to toe the black, tight and sensual leather covered her body. "It's Not here Alyssa!" Screamed the woman in black leather Cracking her Spike ended whip. A female guard clad in the same armour as the guard that was in the Palace stepped forward, "You did the attack, the production is slowed, they'll never have enough time or the budget to finish the drug on time. our work is done, the Queen in waiting shall never breath another breath and her mother's vision will never be fixed" Alyssa stated, her sword drawn and dripping of crimson. "I want my pay now" She finished putting the sword up to the woman's back "Don't be a fool, if you kill me you know the consequences.. only royal guards carry those antique tin sticks these days, Now they're training kids to use futuristic weapons, educating them. if that tin stick pierced my flesh. you know as well as I the authorities have been wanting to get rid of the Royal Guard for twenty years, this will just give them a reason to vaporise you!" Screamed the woman in the leather. Her face was hidden by Holographic image which projected from a broach on her left shoulder. Alyssa put her sword down and helped the other woman search for the drug that was missing.  
  
Back on the ship- Miriam had done all the cross checks possible on her laptop and Xander had used his Magi Gloves to create a window in the air which showed the wreckage of the lab from a bird's eye view. Two silos, a rocket tower and a dome all connected through glass tunnels made up the science lab. One of the silos engulfed in flames, magic specialists using magic to summon water magic, all of the glass tunnels destroyed and the dome had a large hole in the top. "Look!" Said Marion looking away from the navigation screen to the picture. Near the back, in the silo that was intact two small figures emerged from the top, then a door opened from nowhere and the two figures disappeared. "A cloaked vessel" Marion confirmed sitting back. "Miriam, what do you have?" asked Xander staring over to the girl hard at work on her computer "The only enemies of the Royal family are the southern region authorities, who are after the bringing down of the royal Guard, the knights who protect the royal family. They have no mechanical aid whatsoever, just swords and primitive weapons and magic, but strong magic at that!" Said Miriam " All of the Knights are Paladins, powerful magic wielders." Marion hummed and gave a puzzled expression "If they're so powerful maybe it was them who created the attack, perhaps. I got it!" Marion exclaimed "it's the Royal guard, they want the daughter to stay dead, because if she were alive a member of the authorities would act as her advisor and advise her to destroy the Royal Guard!" Marion was about to speak again but she was interrupted by a loud bang as they crashed into the beach. "Damn auto pilot" she cursed, waving her hand the spider controlling the ship vanished and the computer systems shut down. "Let me get a map of the local terrain" Miriam said scanning the laptop. Immediately three holographic cubes plopped out of the side. "hook these into your wrist watch, all they need is a power source, then tap it to turn it on" She said, demonstrating as a three dimensional map of the local terrain projected from the cube.  
  
Several hours later at the Royal Palace- the queen mother watched the television recording of the attack on the lab, sipping her tea. Then she was interrupted as her daughter's bodyguard the male guard walked in, his armour clanking as it usually did. He bent down on one knee and bowed his head "Malady, one scientist escaped with a finished sample of the drug, he is ready to administer it now to the child, she will walk again before the day is done" He got up and smiled. The mother began to cry "I've waited so long, and my poor daughter, she's going to miss out on five years of her life, will the drug make her thirteen as soon as she wakes up?" the mother asked "not as soon but it will happen within an hour, the mental development will occur later than the physical development, you can sit and watch your daughter age as if you were watching a race, it will happen dramatically and quickly a year every ten minutes" he said, turning to leave but stopped "oh, something else." "yes?" She asked stepping forward "We have done what you have asked, Alyssa has been locked away in the dungeons, may I ask why?" the guard pressed "I have a hunch she doesn't want my daughter alive" the mother began rubbing her blind eyes and a tear that was beginning to form, "I'll go down and talk to her privately a little later, but now I have some business to attend to, when will the doctor's be here?" "in about twenty minutes" the guard confirmed "Ring the bell when it's time, I want everyone to witness the first step of her new life" 


End file.
